The Top 7 Things AC Companies Don't Want You To Know How To Do!

I am curious, how many of these have you been presented with? And what were the specifics? Also, links for everything are down in the description of the video!

My AC wasn’t blowing out cold air so I contacted a well known company in my area named Lees. There was a melted wire between the capacitor and compressor. He said it melted because the compressor was fried. He also said several other parts need to be replaced and gave me an estimate of over 15k to refurb and over 30k to replace the whole unit. Btw my house is only 7 years old. He specifically said the capacitor was good. Well I got a 2nd opinion and the new guy replaced the wire and capacitor and it worked instantly.

Legend, this is why YouTube is so Valuable. Guy giving you the knowledge and skills to possibly save hundreds or thousands from dishonest AC Techs.

HVAC companies all came out and replaced bad capacitors with Chinese capacitors. They last 1 maybe 2 years then go bad again. I went out and bought my own MADE IN USA capacitor for $20 and replaced it myself. It has lasted 6 years so far and keeps on running without failing.

I have 2 units. Was told both had to be replaced. Because they couldnt even get them to cut on. Called another guy and low and behold within 10 mints both units were up and running.. 75 to make a call and travel and 130 buck later and both ac units were fine. Might I also add I just brought my husband home from a 2 half week hospital stay and we were told he would be going on the heart transplant list..who needs enemies right? also my husband got better. Prayers are truly answered.

Thank you for informing consumers so they can make better decisions about what they are getting into when repairing these items. My capacitor went out last week in 90F temps, unfortunately I didn't have one handy but was able to order and get one in 2 days. Bought 2 for $26, now I have a spare and NO service call needed!

True story. My neighbor called me to come to her house. An A/C tech was there charging her $326.00 to replace a 6 inch jumper wire from the capacitor to the contactor. I very calmly told him that was not going to happen. He tore up the bill and left. Now, here's the kicker. Why did the wire need to be replaced in the first place? Well two days later same problem. She called me again and I looked and sure enough the wire he installed was burned into. Again. Why? I looked at the contactor and it was absolutely burned up. I always keep a contactor and capacitor for spare for my house. My brother ran the QC lab in a scroll compressor factory and told me to always keep one of each on hand. I installed my spare contactor, capacitor and fabricated a new wire, all total my cost to replace my spares was less than $50.00, which is what I charged her.

Great info. Thanks. A few years ago I had a contract with the company that installed my AC. They cane out twice a year and it was such a rip off. Always needed more freon than was coverd under the contract. Then my unit went out one day. They came out fast and said a capacitor was bad. You could see it was swollen and bad. He didnt have one on his truck so said wouid take 2 days. And capacitors weren't covered in the contract. Woukd cost me $240.00. I went to Grangers and bought one and replaced it myself and it cost me $14.00. I'll never trust an AC tech again.

AC Tech wanted $1200 with no guarantee so the lady had me install 3 mini splits. Had to buy a vacuum pump and guage set to evacuate the lines and they work fantastic! 😊

Thanks. Very good tips. Another possible tip: Keep copper lines away from AC metal frame. I had a loud squealing noise coming from the outdoor AC compressor. The AC tech said it was from a bad compressor and needed to be replaced. I wanted to first get another repair quote and while waiting for the second tech, I opened the side cover to see where the noise was coming from. It was because one of the compressor copper lines was touching against the AC metal frame and the line vibration was amplified against the metal frame causing the loud squealing noise. I carefully moved/bent the line away from the metal frame using a screw driver and noise stopped.

All true. I replaced my last systems after they had served well for 47 yrs. I replaced one contactor (probably the last of its type in the USA) and a relay during that time. They were still functioning. I maintained them myself. The first rule I followed, and still do, is that, if the system is functioning properly, i.e. interior air supply and return temps. are correct, the refrigerant in the sight glass is liquid and the moisture sensor is negative, NO ONE touches it. This means that gauges are never connected. Filters do not exceed MERV 8. The most important thing is that the initial installation is done correctly and many aren't. There's only one way to do it right. It makes very little difference which brand of AC you choose. If you really need service, do not choose a company that has a lot of trucks running all over your town or one that advertises on TV. We have a big company in our city that actually has acting classes to teach techs. how to convince reluctant people to buy new systems! I have no service contract.

Perfect timing! Just waiting for the AC tech guy to arrive. I feel well informed now. Thank you!

I live in Texas and one of the biggest things we have is ants getting in the contactor. Easy fix for a homeowner, but unfortunately many do not know anything about it. Might be another video. Thanks and I loved the video on the capacitor.

With the help of this and other wonderful videos like it, I changed my capacitor myself. I couldn't help but wonder how much they are charging locally. Made three calls with prices ranging from $360 to $450....absolutely ridiculous. Did it myself for $15 and 15 minutes. Thank you sir!

As an HVAC tech, and an honest one, the information you give is great for people with some mechanical knowledge. I don’t like that you think everything is a scam when someone is trying to make a living. 😂. $150 or $200 for a cap isn’t a scam when you have overhead and pay a good wage for a tech. You are paying for the tech to diagnose and fix your ac just like a mechanic to fix your car. The cost to do business is high and overhead prices can vary that’s why prices vary. There are definitely shady techs and unfortunately our industry more and more pay service techs commission which can breed dishonesty, but just because you can do something cheaper than a licensed and insured contractor, doesn’t mean a business with overhead is scamming.

The one reason I stopped having my AC system checked every year is that every time they put gauges on it a little refrigerant will escape. I just make sure to clean the coils and check the capacitor in the Spring. I also keep a spare capacitor and contactor.

You are spot on with everything you covered in this video. I clean my coils every year. Super easy. I also wash and wax the outside of my AC units just to help reduce the chance of rust. Filters are replaced every month no matter how they look. I buy them in bulk. Having a good reputable HVAC is very important as well. Do your homework and ask around.

Great video for people that have no clue about A/C units. It goes into to a lot of detail that might go over their heads but it's still good information. When it's hot outside and your A/C isn't working, you will pay just about any amount to get it repaired quickly. I subbed up to the DIY HVAC Guy's channel, thank you for that since I like to make my own repairs when I can.

To reiterate, if you are testing or changing out the capacitor, but SURE to cut the power to the unit first. .... 🙂

I've had the same Carrier unit for 21 years. Last year, I had to replace the fan and figured I would replace the capacitor as preventive maintenance. My cost was under $300. I clean the coils every year and place a cover on the unit in the Fall to prevent leaves from getting inside the unit. I've also installed a hard start capacitor kit. Unit is a lot quieter at start up, even after installing the new fan motor. I cleaned the contacts on the contactor relay.